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Forty ways to save money now

With many families struggling to cope with the rising cost of living, small changes in everyday spending go a long way. Cut back in these areas and really notice a difference.
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Forty ways to save money now

Car costs

  1. Avoid filling up on petrol when prices are at their highest

  2. Use discount dockets for petrol

  3. Avoid expensive car wash cafés

  4. Upgrade your car less frequently — motoring becomes a lot cheaper once you’ve paid off the car loan

  5. Consider downsizing to a smaller car as they are more fuel efficient and the tyres are generally cheaper

Groceries

  1. Buy groceries on sale and choose generic brands where possible

  2. Use a list so you only buy what you need

  3. Plan weekly menus before shopping to avoid waste

  4. Shop only once a week rather than several times, as this will reduce impulse buying

  5. Avoid putting unnecessary items such as soft drink and chips in the trolley

Utilities

  1. Install a water efficient shower head and use a shower timer

  2. Change light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs which use around 75 per cent less power

  3. Dry clothes on the line rather than using the dryer which costs around $1 per load

  4. Wash clothes in cold water

  5. Lower your hot water system to 65 degrees

Health and fitness

  1. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for generic medications

  2. Purchase prescription glasses online

  3. If you have private health insurance, check you’ve got the right cover to suit your needs

  4. Give up smoking

  5. Switch to cheaper forms of DIY exercise such as running or walking

Fashion and beauty

  1. Only shop when you need to — don’t make it a hobby

  2. Buy clothes when they are on sale and use catalogues to shop around for the best prices

  3. Update your wardrobe with inexpensive accessories such as a new handbag, costume jewellery or a new pair of shoes

  4. Cut back on visits to the hairdresser and colour your own hair

  5. Turn your unwanted clothing into cash by selling it on ebay

Kids

  1. Buy nappies in bulk from discount supermarkets

  2. Consider borrowing from a toy library

  3. Share kids’ hand-me-down clothes with friends and family

  4. Stop pocket money once kids are old enough to have a part-time job

  5. Ensure children over the age of 18 are contributing to the household expenses

Entertainment

  1. Look for free or low-cost outings such as outdoor movies in the park, library activities and day-trips to the park or beach

  2. Go to the movies on cheap Tuesday

  3. Better still, have a movie night at home once a week complete with homemade popcorn

  4. Instead of going out to restaurants, have a progressive dinner with your friends, where you move to a different house for each course

  5. Look for 2-for-1 meal deals when dining out

Household

  1. Shop for furniture and white goods at discount outlets

  2. Buy kitchenware for less online

  3. Purchase sheets, towels and appliances only when they are on sale

  4. Buy laundry detergent in bulk

  5. Have a garage sale to turn unwanted household items into cash

Dianne Charman is an Authorised Representative of AMP Financial Planning Pty Ltd, ABN 89 051 208 327, AFS Licence No. 232706. Any advice given is general only and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of this, before acting on any advice, you should consult a financial planner to consider how appropriate the advice is to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

To find your nearest AMP financial planner visit www.amp.com.au/findaplanner.

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Victoria’s Secret condemned for selling sexy underwear for under-18s

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Victoria's Secret condemned for selling sexy underwear for under-18s

The Victoria's Secret Bright Young Things campaign.

A Victoria’s Secret lingerie campaign targeted at 15-year-old girls has outraged parents who claim it “portrays teens as sexual objects”.

The new range Bright Young Things is part of the label’s Pink line, and is targeted at young teens under the age of 18.

Related: Why girls are having sex at 12

“When somebody’s 15 or 16 years old, what do they want to be?” Victoria’s Secret Chief Financial Officer Stuart Burgdoerfer told a conference recently.

“They want to be older, and they want to be cool like the girl in college, and that’s part of the magic of what we do at Pink.”

The Bright Young Things range includes clothing, accessories, bras and panties emblazoned with provocative slogans including “I dare you”, “Let’s make out” and “Wild”.

The sexualised items have infuriated parents, who have bombarded the Victoria’s Secret Facebook page with complaints and pledges to boycott the brand.

“As a mother of two daughters, I am appalled by your new line targeting young girls,” Karen Halil wrote. “You are adding to America’s irresponsible culture of sexualising young girls. I am boycotting VS until you change.”

“I’m not a mum, in fact I’m only 17 years old, but I’m disgusted by the Bright Young Things line,” Kayla Chandler Ross added. “It’s honestly disgusting that you love money more than you care about the wellbeing of young girls.”

Other outraged adults have launched an online petition demanding the brand’s CEO stop “portraying teens as sexual objects”.

“Your slogan refers to young women as ‘things,’ rather than many more appropriate alternatives,” the petition reads. “This slogan coupled with the provocative ads used to launch your new line indicates that you are using the sexual appeal and objectification of teens in order to sell products.

Related: Parents attack ‘trampy’ Target kids’ clothing

“Teen girls are already bombarded by images in the media, which focus on the importance of beauty and sexuality for women. Your recent advertisements reinforce the idea that young women are only valued for their beauty and bodies, rather than for their intelligence, creativity, or ideas.

“Further, by targeting such a young demographic, your company is sending the message that it is acceptable for teens to become sexual at an earlier age.”

Your say: Do you think the Victoria’s Secret Bright Young Things campaign is offensive?

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Ricky Martin on The Voice, Australia, and his ‘perfect’ baby boys

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How Ricky Martin's babies changed him: 'It gives me goose bumps how special they are'

He’s back for The Voice, but last time pop sensation Ricky Martin was in Australia, he had a career and personal crisis that changed everything. Showing off his twin boys, the Latin heart-throb and single dad tells Caroline Overington how fatherhood has changed him — and how he wants to save the world, one child at a time.

There are some people, most of them young, who believe that fame will make them happy. No lessons from history will convince them otherwise.

The Latin American superstar, Ricky Martin — in Australia this year to take Keith Urban’s role as a coach on the popular talent show, The Voice — was for a time one of those people.

“It didn’t matter what I had to go through — leaving home at the age of 12, not seeing family or friends — as long as at the end of the day I could be on stage,” Ricky tells The Weekly.

For almost two decades, everything was fine. Ricky essentially lived on stage, often playing to adoring audiences of tens of thousands, and he was happy. Then, in 2000 — which, by chance, was when Ricky was last in Australia — the bubble burst.

“I was here on stage and I was like ‘Yeah!’,” he says, “but no … I wasn’t feeling it.” Worse, he wasn’t feeling much of anything and for an artist capable on a good day of lifting the stadium roof, that was alarming.

“I knew something was wrong,” he says. “I was due in South America — a large concert in Buenos Aires — and I cancelled. I went home.”

That was 13 years ago. Ricky was then just 28 — still so young in the scheme of things — and there is a risk in telling this story that he will come across as petulant. So he was rich and famous, and had glorious good looks — but it wasn’t enough? That’s a First World problem.

Yet, hear him out. Ricky, now 41, has worked hard this past decade, not on stage, but off, not for himself, but for others, particularly poor girls at risk of being sold into the sex trade in Calcutta, India, in Thailand and after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

He has found, in the process, a measure of peace. The Ricky Martin who came to Australia in the year 2000 was an international superstar, true, but he was also a confused and often lonely, somewhat uncertain person.

The Ricky Martin we’re about to see on The Voice — his hand outstretched, his smile genuine as he welcomes talented young Australians into his team — is very much different. He’s a humbler person, a happier person, one might even say he’s complete.

He return to Australia a father, bringing his twins, born in 2008: Matteo (“gift of God”) and Valentino (“the valiant one”).

“I wanted to stand from the rooftop and scream the great news to the world,” Ricky says of the day he became a father.

He is returning to Australia for about eight weeks for the live shows after Easter (a special souvenir compilation of his greatest hits will be released) and “yes, my kids are obviously coming [back]. My partner will be here and my support system is very solid, and I know my kids will be fine”. The first time Ricky was in Australia, he missed his children so much he brought them back with him in March.

They will have to take some more time out of their New York school, but given that Ricky’s children can read and write, can speak English, Spanish and French, and can locate Australia on Google Maps on their iPad — and they are only four — that’s probably not a problem.

“Every father thinks their children are special,” Ricky says, “but it gives me goose bumps how special they are!” He returns to Australia in a good place, professionally and personally.

“It was here that it happened, that I woke up to what I needed to do,” he says. “It was life-changing and I am happy to be back.”

Read more of this story in the April issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

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Embarrassing Star PDAs

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Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Garner displayed some rare PDA while enjoying a family outing recently with daughters Violet, seven and Serphina, four.

The loved up pair shared hugs, kisses and laughs while watching their girls play in Santa Monica.

Ben recently told US Weekly that he was taking a break to enjoy quality time with his family. “It’s been a nice time, hanging out with my wife, that sort of thing, and we’re enjoying it,” he said. The actor hugged and kissed his wife lightly, making her laugh with his whispers. Ben and Jennifer were captured getting balloons for their two girls whils their 12 month old son Sammuel stayed at home.

Ben and Jen aren’t the only couples going over the top with the PDA! See more celebtiry PDA captures here!

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner loved up in Santa Monica.

Kanye West and Kim Kardasian shared a moment celebrating the new year.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel going all out with PDA at The Laker’s game.

Kellan Lutz and his girlfriend Sharni Vinson get comfy on stage in Beijing.

Josh Kelley and actress Katherine Heigl arriving to the premiere of “New Year’s Eve”.

Ellen and her wife Portia indulge in PDA with a kiss at the 35th Emmy Awards.

Keith Urban passionately stretched over to reach wife Nicole Kidman.

Jessica Alba and Cash Warren snuggle up at a game in New York City.

Young love birds Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez show their PDA at a Lakers game.

Channing Tatum and wife Jenna Dewan express their love on the red carpet.

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Beyoncé’s Blue shows off style

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She’s only just turned one, but Beyoncé‘s daughter Blue Ivy already has a sense of style.

The tiny tot stepped out with her mum on Monday wearing a super cute camouflage army jacket and a pair of miniature tan Timberland boots. Her famous parents have also been spotted sporting the same shoes.

Blue is just one of the latest celebrity youngsters to show off her signature style. Harper Beckham was spotted out with her doting dad recently showing off her $111 boots and a $180 miniature bomber jacket.

See more adorable stylish celebrity kids here!

Beyonce and baby Blue stroll through Brooklyn.

David Beckham walks Harper through the park.

Harlow Madden shows off her freshly painted nails.

Scott Disick and his son Mason wear matching leather jackets.

Tiny tot style queen Suri Cruise rugs up in all pink.

Nicole Kidman’s daughter Sunday shows off her travel style.

Ben Affleck’s kids Seraphina and Samuel are all rugged up in style.

Jessica Simpson’s daughter Maxwell showed off her leopard print sandals.

Miranda and son Flynn head out and about in New York.

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Great read: Life After Life

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Great read: Life After Life

Life After Life By Kate Atkinson, Random House, $32.95.

Pursuing the many avenues of what could have happened if one moment in time had turned out differently is not unique — think Groundhog Day, Sliding Doors — but dramatising the notion with quite the intriguing multi-layered detail and myriad mind-bending permutations that award-winning author Kate Atkinson does in this electric novel … that is very special indeed.

Life After Life is an extraordinary work with descriptions so tangible and vivid you feel as if you’re drifting through the scenes of a film, complete with the director hollering “let’s do that one more time”, as we are taken back to the start — or a few stations on from the start — and given a different resolution.

Ursula Todd is the common thread, born on February 11, 1910, on an icy cold night in Fox Corner, a sleepy hollow house in a verdant if slightly scruffy corner of England that isn’t quite as cosy as its initial painting suggests.

Like the ice forming outside, covered in a muffling coat of snow, there’s something suitably slippery about the narrative, leaving the reader on uncertain ground, unsure whether the action that seems so real is actually happening.

And as the course of Ursula’s life is punctuated by incidents that could end it completely — or at least alter its course dramatically — we learn more and more about this prickly but decidedly engaging protagonist and the many characters that fill her world.

In one incarnation, Ursula is hanging out with Eva Braun in the Berghof, Hitler’s decadent base in the Bavarian Alps; in another she is assassinating Hitler; in another haunting episode, she is fearlessly picking through dismembered bodies in Blitz-torn London, searching for survivors; in another, she is heading for a back-street abortion; another trapped in a brutish marriage … The paths are endless, but each so affecting that we long to keep this character alive and moving forward.

As the end of the novel draws closer, I found myself craving not for a final curtain but yet more scenarios, so I could cling on to the vitality of Ursula’s world just a little bit longer.

JOIN THE AWW BOOK CLUB

In 30 words or less, tell us what is great about a book you are reading at the moment. The best critique will win The AWW Cooking School cookbook, valued at $74.95, and be printed in the July issue of The Weekly. Simply visit aww.com.au/bookclub, or email [email protected], or write to The Great Read, GPO Box 4178, Sydney, NSW 2001.

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Isla Fisher: My marriage is not normal

She's one of the most private actresses in Hollywood, but Isla Fisher has broken her silence and opened up about her marriage to Sacha Baron Cohen.
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Isla Fisher

She’s one of the most private actresses in Hollywood, but Isla Fisher has broken her silence and opened up about her marriage to Sacha Baron Cohen.

The Australian star has given a revealing interview to C magazine, which appears in the publication’s current issue alongside a glossy photo shoot.

Isla, who has two daughters Olive, five, and Elula, two, with Sacha, says life with her controversial husband is never dull.

“It’s definitely not a normal relationship,” she told the publication. “You know there have been times in the past with the guerrilla-style film making of Borat and Bruno where there were surreal conversations: ‘How many people are suing us? Are you wanted in any states? Are you alive?'”

Isla Fisher

Isla, 37, is currently filming a new movie with Jennifer Aniston and Tim Robins.

She says she currently has no plans to work with Sacha, but would love to share the screen with him if the opportunity arose.

“I would love to,” she says. “But I think we are collaborating on enough. We’re doing out most difficult, most wonderful screenplays: a five year old and a two-year-old at home. I feel that’s the most important collaboration.”

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Are your hormones making you fat?

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Are your hormones making you fat?

You eat well, exercise, yet your weight keeps climbing. As dietician Susie Burrell explains, it could be due to a hormone problem.

Sally was a slim kid and she remained thin throughout her 20s and 30s. By the time she’d hit her mid-40s, however, things had changed.

By this age, Sally was performing a supreme juggle. There were three children to take care of and a demanding full-time job.

Related: Why obesity is not your fault

Despite regular trips to the gym and following a healthy, low-fat diet, the scales showed a weight gain of 15kg.

No diet or exercise program seemed to be able to help Sally lose weight. In fact, the more she exercised, the more she seemed to weigh and she was tired, bloated and craving sugar.

I took one look at her and knew straight away — here was a client with insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is a clinical condition in which insulin, the hormone secreted by the pancreas to control blood glucose levels in the body, is no longer working as efficiently as it should.

Over time, numerous factors, including a diet high in processed carbohydrates, a relatively inactive lifestyle and often genetics, affect insulin, which becomes less and less efficient at processing the glucose we consume in carbohydrate-based foods such as bread, cereals, fruit and sugars.

When insulin is not working properly, the body is forced to produce more insulin to process the same amount of glucose that we consume in food, to fuel the muscles and the brain.

The unfortunate thing when it comes to weight control is that the higher the amount of insulin you have circulating in your body, the harder it becomes to burn fat.

This means that if you have insulin resistance, you can be eating an extremely healthy diet and exercise regimen, but still be physically unable to lose weight.

In fact, as insulin is the central regulator of both glucose and fat metabolism in the body, when it is not working, the basic energy balance equation for weight loss (calories in versus calories out) simply does not hold true.

The situation Sally was facing — getting older, dealing with hormonal fluctuations and an inactive job, combined with a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet, were likely to result in a further 10kg-20kg weight gain over 10 to 20 years.

Worse, if left unmanaged, insulin resistance will ultimately lead to Type 2 diabetes.

The good news is that if diagnosed early, insulin resistance can not only be managed, but even reversed with the right mix of diet and exercise training.

The body may show signs of insulin resistance in a number of ways. As resistance builds up over many months, if not years, these signs and symptoms can be subtle before becoming more noticeable.

Fatigue is common as glucose is not being taken to the cells as efficiently as it should be. Sugar cravings are common, too, as insulin and glucose levels fluctuate wildly during the day.

Perhaps the most powerful sign that insulin resistance may be present is in the way fat is deposited on the body.

Related: Ten tips to stop winter weight gain

Insulin likes to deposit fat around the abdominal area, which is why women (and men) with severe insulin resistance have a large belly and the reason a waist measurement greater than 80cm for a female may be a sign that insulin resistance is present.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of insulin resistance and find that you are constantly struggling with your weight, the best thing you can do is visit your GP or endocrinologist and have a glucose tolerance test to identify if insulin resistance is present.

Your say: Do you think you might be suffering from insulin resistance?

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Prince Harry planning US trip, will skip Vegas this time

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Prince Harry coming to Sydney in October

Prince Harry.

Prince Harry is set to return to the United States for work, not play, and this time he’s skipping Las Vegas.

St James’s Palace confirmed on Monday 28-year-old prince would travel the US east coast in a week-long tour taking place May 9-15. His itinerary is packed full of official engagements.

Harry will be in New Jersey touring areas damaged by Hurricane Sandy, visit veterans in a Washington army hospital, and attend a fundraising party in Manhattan for his brother William’s foundation, and stop off for a spot of polo in Connecticut.

The Connecticut match is the Sentebale Polo Cup and will be a fundraiser for the charity founded by Harry and Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso that helps children struggling with poverty in the tiny southern African country.

“Prince Harry wants to highlight once again the extraordinary commitment and sacrifice of our injured servicemen and women,” said Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, Harry’s private secretary.

Harry is expected to be on his best behaviour on the tour as the last time he was in America, the ‘Party Prince’ really lived up to his nickname.

A game of nude billiards that took place on a boys trip to Las Vegas created one of the biggest royal scandals of all time as photographs of the incident which took place in Harry’s hotel room surfaced.

Vegas has been omitted from the Prince’s itinerary this time around.

Australia also misses out on a visit from the third-in-line to the British throne this year after fleeting rumours he might make an appearance at the Navy’s centenary fleet gala in Sydney this October.

Harry’s Assistant Press Secretary told The Weekly he was “sorry to say” the reports were incorrect.

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The face of the royal baby at 25

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The face of the royal baby at 25

William and Kate's baby at 25 by Nickolay Lam and Nikolett Meresz from myvouchercodes.co.uk.

As if the pictures of the royal baby at five weren’t creepy enough, artists have released photo fits of the unborn prince or princess at 25.

Nickolay Lam and Nikolett Mérész from myvouchercodes.co.uk teamed up with Harvard MIT geneticist Jenny Chen to create lifelike pictures that show what William and Kate’s baby would look like as a young adult.

Based on years on genomics research, Chen advised the artists which traits the royal baby is likely to inherit from its royal parents, and how those traits will express themselves as the child ages.

Eyes

The baby is 50 per cent likely to have blue eyes, and less likely to have brown or green eyes. William has blue eyes, which means he has two blue eye genes, while Kate has green eyes, which means she has one blue eye gene and one brown eye gene. If the baby gets the blue eye gene from each parent, it will have blue eyes. If it gets Kate’s brown eye gene instead, it will have brown or green eyes as the brown gene is dominant. When it comes to the shape of the eye, the baby will have Kate’s almond variety, as this is dominant over William’s round shape.

Hair

Dark hair is dominant over blonde hair, so the baby will likely have brunette locks. There is only a 12.5 per cent chance of the baby having blonde hair like William’s. It’s hair is also likely to be wavy or curly as that hair is dominant over straight hair.

Face

Kate and William both have oval faces and straight hairlines so their children will have the same traits. When it comes to chins, prominent chins are more dominant, so the child will likely inherit Kate’s.

Nose

The royal baby will likely inherit William’s prominent hook-shaped “royal nose” shared by Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Prince Harry. The prevalence of this nose in the family suggests it is dominant and any children of William’s would likely have it.

Lips

William and Kate both have broad lips, so any child of theirs would likely have similarly full lips.

Eyebrows

William and Kate share similar broad eyebrows, so it’s likely their children will too.

Skin tone

Darker skin is dominant over lighter skin so the baby is likely to share Kate’s olive complexion.

Is this the face of the royal baby?
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